A review by nytephoenyx
ExtraOrdinary by V.E. Schwab

dark fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

If you want just a small taste more of Schwab’s Villains universe, this comic collection is for you.

This story moves quickly, but it’s not particularly involved. This collection book captures issues #0-4 and gives just enough information I was able to learn Charlotte’s background quickly. I do think prior knowledge of the Villains universe helps, as there’s a little bit of Victor but a decent amount of Eli in these pages. I found ExtraOrdinary to be a good sister story to the duology, but I’m not convinced it would stand alone as successfully. Maybe if it was a little longer?

The somewhat sudden end after issue #4 also threw me off. This may be a “me” issue, but I don’t love how quickly the comic book tied everything up but clearly left the story open for more. The storytelling was successful enough that yes, of course, I’d like more of Charlotte’s story! But I’m not sure if Titan has commissioned any more of this tale or if Schwab is writing anything more. Like any series that feels as though it has ended when it just begun, I found this frustrating.

Let’s shift focus and talk about the art.

As much as I enjoy Schwab’s writing as a rule, the art in this collection is spectacular. Enid Balám is probably better know for his Hawkeye: Kate Bishop art done for Marvel, but it doesn’t make his work on ExtraOrdinary any less impressive. I’m not always a fan of tall figures and the blue/orange tinted color scheme, but Balám weaves it all together extremely well. Charlotte’s EO ability is gruesome: the ability to see peoples’ deaths in reflected surfaces. For this to really come to life, the artists needed to be subtle but piercing and Balám delivers that in spades. As much as Schwab has given us three different stories tied together, Balám shows us the world Charlotte lives in, and the one that haunts her dreams. I’m almost definitely going to flip back through the collection and review the drawings in all the reflections because there’s so much insight there to Charlotte and the world. Likely hidden secrets, too.

We also need to acknowledge the cover. The one pictured in this review is the one I have and I absolutely love it. The covers for every issue are positively stunning, though. Anyone who says comic artistry isn’t art is a fool.

I absolutely enjoyed this in-between story and I’m glad I read it between Vicious and Vengeful to give me a bit more world expansion. You don’t need to read this to enjoy the other books, but I do think reading Vicious will increase enjoyment of reading ExtraOrdinary because of the background you’ll have going into the story.

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